1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ink-jet recording apparatus which records on a recording medium by jetting an ink from nozzle holes of an ink-jet head has hitherto been known. A common example of such ink-jet head includes a nozzle plate, in which a plurality of nozzle holes for jetting an ink is formed, on a lower side, and a water repellent film, which avoids adhering of the ink to a nozzle surface, is formed on a nozzle surface which is the lower surface of the nozzle plate.
Since the nozzle surface faces the recording medium, sometimes, the recording paper makes a contact with the nozzle surface due to a jamming of the recording paper, and the nozzle surface or the water repellent film formed on the nozzle surface is damaged. When the nozzle surface or the water repellent film near the nozzle holes is damaged, a jetting direction of the ink is inclined, and ink droplets are not formed as predetermined, thereby making it impossible to carry out normal jetting.
Moreover, in an ink-jet head described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-127424, projections are formed near nozzle holes (ink jetting holes). These projections are provided near the ink jetting holes at an upstream side of a transporting direction of the recording paper with respect to each of the ink jetting holes, in order to avoid the jetting direction of the ink droplets being inclined due to an air flow generated between the nozzle surface and the recording paper, and to make the ink droplets land accurately at a predetermined position on the recording paper.
A nozzle member used in an ink-jet head described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-127424 is manufactured as follows. Firstly, a metallic pattern corresponding to ink channels is formed on an upper surface of a substrate, and this metallic pattern is covered by a polyimide resin. Next, ink jetting holes are drilled by a laser machining. The metallic pattern which is formed is removed by melting by introducing (charging) an etchant through the ink jetting holes, and a cavity is formed at an inner side of the polyimide resin. Further, at the time of forming the polyimide resin, projections are formed simultaneously on an outer surface of the nozzle. Therefore, a die is necessary for forming the projections.
Besides, since such projections are not provided at a downstream side of the transporting direction of the recording paper, of each ink jetting hole, there is a possibility that the recording paper makes a contact with the nozzle surface due to jamming of the paper, and the water repellent film is damaged.